Reuben Shaw is an American cancer researcher. He is a professor and director of the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

-Designated Cancer Center at the

Salk Institute for Biological Studies The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a scientific research institute in the La Jolla community of San Diego, California. The independent, non-profit institute was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vaccine; among th ...

, one of the NCI's seven basic laboratory cancer centers in the United States. He researches signaling pathways that control tumor metabolism, with a specific focus on an ancient energy-sensing pathway that controls biological response to starvation.

Education

Reuben Shaw grew up in New York state, where he later earned a degree in biology from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

. Shaw then earned his Ph.D. in cancer biology at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

with advisor

Tyler Jacks Tyler Jacks is a David H. Koch Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a long-time HHMI investigator, and founding director of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, which brings together bi ...

. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

with advisor

Lewis C. Cantley Lewis C. Cantley (born February 20, 1949) is an American cell biologist and biochemist who has made significant advances to the understanding of cancer metabolism. Among his most notable contributions are the discovery and study of the enzyme PI- ...

Career and research

In 2004, Reuben Shaw discovered a link between primitive energy-sensing

AMP-activated protein kinase 5' AMP-activated protein kinase or AMPK or 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase is an enzyme (EC 2.7.11.31) that plays a role in cellular energy homeostasis, largely to activate glucose and fatty acid uptake and oxidation when cell ...

and tumor suppressing

Lkb1 Serine/threonine kinase 11 (STK11) also known as liver kinase B1 (LKB1) or renal carcinoma antigen NY-REN-19 is a protein kinase that in humans is encoded by the ''STK11'' gene. Expression Testosterone (medication), Testosterone and Dihydrotesto ...

. In 2005, his lab showed that the

type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent ...

drug

Metformin Metformin, sold under the brand name Glucophage, among others, is the main first-line medication for the treatment of type2 diabetes, particularly in people who are overweight. It is also used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, ...

operates by targeting both

and

. Since then, he has researched AMPK, its downstream targets, and how its molecular pathway functions in relation to diabetes and cancer. Shaw joined the

as an assistant professor in 2006. He became a professor at Salk in 2014 and currently holds the William R. Brody Chair. He is also currently an adjunct professor in molecular biology at

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

. Shaw has made a variety of discoveries related to the AMPK pathway: * The enzyme AMPK senses when nutrients and energy levels are low, then consequently limits cell growth and reprograms metabolism to withstand such deficits. * The AMPK pathway is related to LKB1 and altered in

non-small-cell lung cancer Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), or non-small-cell lung carcinoma, is any type of epithelial lung cancer other than small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). NSCLC accounts for about 85% of all lung cancers. As a class, NSCLCs are relatively insensitiv ...

. * A non-small-cell lung cancer altered AMPK pathway can be reinitiated by treatment with the

medication

. Shaw uses a combination of

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of Genetic engineering techniques, technologies used to change the genet ...

in mice and interdisciplinary studies across

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

neurodegenerative disease A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Neuronal damage may also ultimately result in their death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, mul ...

, and

aging Ageing (or aging in American English) is the process of becoming Old age, older until death. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi; whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentiall ...

. His research contributes to the development of therapeutic solutions to cancers and metabolic diseases, such as the pivot of

to potentially treat cancers and the identification of LKB1 as a target for

treatments.

Awards and honors

* Clarivate Top Cited Researcher, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 * Member of Lustgarten Advancing Breakthrough Science Program, 2022 * Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Endeavor Award, 2022 * Curebound Discovery Grant, 2022, and member of Scientific Advisory Board * NCI Outstanding Investigator Award, 2017 * Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Scientist, 2009 *

The V Foundation for Cancer Research The V Foundation for Cancer Research is a United States nonprofit organization that provides financial support for cancer research. It was founded in 1993 by Jim Valvano, a college basketball coach and ESPN broadcaster, with the aim of advancing can ...

Scholar Award, 2006

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Reuben American cancer researchers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Salk Institute for Biological Studies people 21st-century American biologists Cornell University alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni